Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) fell 4% in today's trade after South Korea largely won an appeal ruling at the WTO on Wednesday that puts U.S. anti-subsidy duties on Korean-made washing machines in jeopardy.

The ruling by the WTO Appellate Body, which is final, reversed part of an earlier ruling that had gone in favor of the U.S. related to the calculation of anti-subsidy duties.

Following a complaint brought by WHR, the U.S had imposed anti-subsidy duties on washing machines manufactured by South Korea's Samsung Electronics (OTC:SSNLF), LG Electronics (OTC:LGEAF) and Daewoo Electronics.

LG Electronics (OTC:LGEAF) will use the arrangement to produce mobile-phone components.

With this development, Intel's manufacturing segment appears open to additional partnerships with companies looking to outsource semiconductor production. Apple and Qualcomm, for example, currently contract with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) along with other manufacturers and could potentially look to Intel's setup at some point in the future.

The new Galaxy S7 comes with an improved camera, memory storage, water resistance and a longer battery life, while the LG G5 showed off a similar range of new features.

The biggest news, however, was the firms' big jumps into virtual reality. Samsung is teaming up with Facebook to push VR elements into phones and social networking, and the two companies unveiled 360 degree recorders, cameras and viewers.

LG Electronics (OTC:LGEAF) has signed a royalty-bearing patent licensing deal with Nokia (NYSE:NOK). LG's exact royalty payments will be subject to an arbitration expected to conclude in 1-2 years. Other deal terms are confidential.

Nokia notes it has 60+ licensee for its 2G/3G/4G IP, and that LG is the first major smartphone OEM to sign a deal since Nokia sold its phone unit to Microsoft (a move widely expected to increase Nokia's IP monetization potential).

Just a little over a month before Apple releases its smartwatch, LG (OTC:LGEAF) has unveiled a new smart "luxury timepiece" called the LG Watch Urbane, which features a 1.3 inch touchscreen display and runs on Google's Android Wear.

Companies are vying for leadership in the smartwatch space, a market which is expected to be worth $32.9B by 2020, according to Allied Market Research.

LG Electronics (OTC:LGEAF) says it did not encounter any overheating problems with Qualcomm's (NASDAQ:QCOM) new Snapdragon 810 processor that will be powering its G Flex2 - the curved smartphone that will go on sale later this month.

The comment came after Bloomberg report yesterday stating that Samsung (OTC:SSNLF) dropped the new Qualcomm processor from its next Galaxy S due to the chip overheating during testing.

Unlike its previous versions, Samsung's new "standalone" watch will support 3G wireless networks and be able to make and receive calls without having to be tethered to a smartphone. The watch, called the "Gear S," will run on the company's Tizen operating system.

LG’s new smartwatch, called the "G Watch R," will be powered by Android and have a rounded 1.3-inch plastic OLED screen.

AT&T (T) says it will be the first U.S. wireless carrier to sell LG's (LGEIY) smartwatch - known as the "G Watch". The device was made in partnership with Google (GOOG, GOOGL), and will be available for pre-order starting on July 8 for $299.

Demand for wearable devices is skyrocketing. Juniper Research forecasts the value of the wearable device market this year at $1.5B, up from $800M in 2013.

The site adds the companies were previously reluctant to adopt sapphire due to its steep cost, but have changed their minds following Apple's embrace of the technology.

Like much of the industry, Samsung/LG have been avid users of Corning's (GLW+0.5%) Gorilla Glass. Sapphire cover glass is thinner, stronger, and more scratch-resistant than Gorilla Glass, but also much more costly for now. Samsung took a 7.4% stake in Corning last year as part of a deal to sell its stake in the Samsung Corning JV.

GT Advanced (GTAT+8%), currently quite busy ramping sapphire production for Apple, has shot higher on the report. Though GT has said its Apple deal "will be subject to certain exclusivity terms during the duration of the agreement," there could still be a long-term opportunity to service other OEMs. Moreover, stronger industry demand stands to improve GT's pricing power.

Meanwhile, Nokia (NOK) is launching three Android phones even though the company's handset unit is being sold to Microsoft and the latter is looking to facilitate cheaper Windows phones. The Nokia X will cost €89 and will integrate Microsoft services such as Bing and Skype. The home screen will use tiles, as in Windows phones. Meanwhile, the Nokia X+ is priced at €99 and the XL, with a bigger screen, at €109.

"Among the top trends driving smartphone growth are large screen devices and low cost," IDC says. "Markets like China and India are quickly moving toward a point where sub-$150 smartphones are the majority of shipments."

LG Electronics (LGEIY.OB) has lifted the wraps on a curved smartphone with a flexible OLED display called the LG Z, according to ZDNet Korea. The device is reportedly in mass production, will be announced in the immediate future, and has a release date set for later this month.

LG is in a race with Korean rival Samsung (SSNLF.PK), which has plans of its own for a smartphone with a curved display to be released in Oct. The Inquirer speculates Samsung's rendition would be a variant of the Galaxy Note 3.

|Oct. 2, 2013, 9:34 AM|3 Comments

Jan. 7, 2013, 5:45 AM

South Korea's LG Group intends to increase its investment in its electronics ops by almost a third this year to 13.4T won ($12.6B), with the money to go towards ramping up production of LCD and OLED panels, as well as to R&D for phone software, TV sets and flexible displays. LG also aims to spend 3.5T won on its chemical business.